This pal comes to us all the way from England:
He is Dirk Campbell, composer and musician from Lewes, East Sussex. Dirk shares with the children how he uses math in music scales and also that among his many accomplishments, he was a musician for the soundtrack of the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The students get an opportunity to see some very cool instruments.
Meet our Pal the
Team Canada Olympian Genvieve Lalonde
The students learn how Genvieve uses Math in everything she does and they conduct the interview exclusively in French. Genvieve says she is impressed with the student's professionalism and french speaking ability. Genvieve also reminds us what it means to never ever give up!
Meet Pal - talented actor/performer and star of Disney's show Backstage Colin Petierre.
Colin inspires and encourages the students to remember that no matter who you are, where you are from, your gender, age....no matter what.... it is important to follow your dreams and be the kind of person you are proud to be. Colin uses math in so many ways including his studies in high school as well as timing in his dance performances.
Meet Pal(s) - very busy lawyers were willing to devote a moment to connecting with our class:
Kim Sebag and Eva Marszewski (recipient of the Order of Ontario). The students learn that lawyers use math to manage their law firm's budget. Eva and Kim are part of an amazing team! After meeting with them, many students want to be lawyers when they grow up!
Meet our pal Brenda Blancher.
Brenda Blancher is the Director of the Grand Erie District School Board. She happily takes time out of her busy day to connect with the students in our class. The students learn the important role that math skills play in the day to day functioning of our school board.
This pal is part of the team that founded the renowned talent agency Da Costa Talent. Frank Da Costa takes the time to connect with the students while they learned how Frank and his dedicated teammates (including brother Peter) use Math on the job. As well, the students learned how Frank, Peter and the team represent Canada's finest actors, singer and choreographers in every area of the entertainment industry. Our grade 3/4 students will recognize many from their roster (boys and girls; men and women) because they are in movies and on Disney & Family channel (to name a few).
Meet pal Dr. Rose Zacharias-Meeder. Rose is an Emergency Room Doctor, mother of 4, host of her own pod-cast show and recently she ran the Boston Marathon. Dr. Zacharias-Meeder uses math on the job when she needs to calculate how much patients weigh in kilograms, then she uses this amount to calculate her patient's proper dosage of medicine. After interviewing her, many students want to study medicine when they grow up!
Meet pal Sabrina Sawyer is our Indigenous Education Specialist with the GEDSB. Her role involves sharing with teachers, students, administrators and superintendents knowledge about Canada's Indigenous people and how to inter-weave this into every day practice. An example of how Sabrina uses math on the job is sharing with students how Wampum belts teach us about symmetry. Thanks for being a FaceTime Friend Sabrina! Because of people like you the administration, staff and students of the Grand Erie District School Board are gaining a better understanding one another and the importance of Grand Erie's Indigenous Heritage.
The Mme. Clarysse's Pals initiative in our class is a cross-curricular approach to learning.
The interviews are student-led and a surprise Pal calls in, introduces him/herself and describes his/her job with a focus on how math is a part of his/her daily life.
There are a multitude of benefits to our Mme. Clarysse's Pals initiative. This program connects students to the world around them, teaches them positive online communication skills, educates them on various career paths, engages them by deepening their understanding of the relevance of mathematics, nurtures their confidence and skills in conducting interviews and is a wonderful surprise to look forward to!
Who knows who we will find on our virtual doorstep! Here are just some of Mme. Clarysse's Pals who have taken the time out of their very busy schedules to call in and chat with the students...